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Preparing for Dorian: Former Maryland family braces for hurricane

Many of you have family and friends down in Florida, and we’re keeping a close eye on the coast.

WASHINGTON — Hurricane Dorian is barreling toward the mainland, and people living in Florida said Friday that they're taking this storm seriously.

"If Hurricane Dorian is going to devastate our house and surroundings, it’s going to do that whether we’re there or not,” Val Wadas Willingham said.

Willingham and her husband moved from Maryland to Jupiter, Florida in February. Six moths later, their home is now shuttered-up.

"We got gas yesterday and we put the shutters up this morning, and we’re gone," Willingham said.

RELATED: Dorian upgraded to Category 3 with winds of 115 mph

She said they waited an hour to get gas on Thursday, but said it was something they needed to do before heading out.

Credit: Val Wadas Willingham
Val Wadas Willingham and her husband shuttered-up their house Friday morning and evacuated to Georgia.

As she was driving to Atlanta on Friday, she said there wasn’t a lot of traffic on the Florida turnpike.

RELATED: Hurricane Dorian strengthens to major Category 3 storm

Another Floridian said he and some others are waiting to evacuate.

"Right now we’re just kind of waiting to see what’s going to happen," Thayne Saunders, said. "Being at the beach it’s a mandatory evacuation if it’s a Category 1 and I definitely don’t want to be there."

Saunders said in his area along the Florida coast, people are flocking to the stores to stock up.

"We’re lucky we don’t have any gas shortages yet, but there’s a lot of activity on the road and a lot of stores are running out of bottled water," Saunders said. "There are people that are taking it seriously because it’s good because you never know until the last minute where this thing’s going to go."

Saunders said he’s seen some boarding up but will wait until Sunday before he makes his decision of if and where he will evacuate.

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